Kurt V. BlueDog

Mr. BlueDog has been in the active practice of federal Indian law for nearly 30 years almost exclusively on behalf of Indian Tribal governments and the various instrumentalities of Tribal government.  He was born and raised on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota.  After he graduated from the University of South Dakota he served as a Commissioned Officer in the Army paratroopers.  Kurt graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Law in 1977.  He is a member of the State Bars of Minnesota and Wisconsin, several Tribal Courts, the United States Supreme Court and numerous Federal District and Appellate Courts. 

Prior to working in private practice, he worked for the non-profit Native American Rights Fund (NARF) in Boulder, Colorado as a Staff Attorney.  His experience at NARF involved extensive litigation experience in the areas of Indian education, economic development, tribal sovereignty, American Indian religious freedom, land rights, tribal recognition, corrections and housing.  His experience at NARF also provided him with Legislative activity in a broad range of Tribal Sovereignty matters, Indian religious activity, tribal acknowledgment, tribal colleges and enactment of and implementation of the Texas Band of Kickapoo Act, P.L. 97-429, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, P.L. 95-431.  Currently, Mr. BlueDog is involved in litigation, administrative and legislative activity representing tribal concerns.  The emphasis of his practice has been in the area of tribal commercial law, corporate law, gaming, and economic development. 

Mr. BlueDog has served as an adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law and the Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Additionally, he serves as the Chief Judge for the Fond du Lac Reservation Tribal Court (10 years), and on the Executive Committee (15 years) of the National Indian Gaming Association.